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www.travelweekly-asia.com | 7 AGENC Y STORY Imagine a spectacular morning in a hot air balloon watching uninterrupted wildlife from an eagle eye's view in Zambia. Or a private picnic on a remote sand dune in Namibia. Or falling asleep under the spectacular night sky on your lodge's rooftop star-bed in Botswana. Africa may still be a fairly new destination for adventurous holidaymakers based in Asia, but A2A Safaris take away the fear of the unknown when helping organise their luxury, tailor-made trips. "People think safaris aren't cheap, but where else can you see animals in the wild the way it was years and years ago?" says Shy Perez- Sala, who joined the company after having been a client herself and is now a partner in the business. Originally founded in 2002 by Jose Cortes and Victor Dizon, two investment banker friends who have been addicted to Africa since the mid-90s, they marketed the trips to their professional networks and today it is largely word of mouth, as well as investing in PR, that has grown the company. "We make it a point to meet up with our future clients, as once you have established a rapport there's a trust," says Perez-Sala. The company puts a lot of knowledge, experience and man- hours into crafting each client's personal itinerary balancing safari time with beach and city time. And while safety is always one of their prime concerns, the A2A team vets each camp and hotel for luxury, service and activities. "When I became partner I went on a fam-trip of 12 of South Africa's private game reserves," says Perez-Sala. "Only two made the cut." South and East Africa are their By Catharine Nicol LUXURY SAFARI COMPANY GROWS INTO LATIN AMERICA AND ANTARCTICA areas of specialty, and they coincide Christmas trips with the summer wildebeest migrations and Chinese New Year with spring birthings. The company's main markets are clients celebrating milestones, from Singapore and Hong Kong, and also Manila, where shared culture and language makes new destination Latin America very popular. A2A's reputation for safety, meticulous planning and quality brings that element of trust to Latin America and Antarctica, launched in October 2014. Latin America is year- round, but Perez-Sala especially recommends Argentina during the Southern Hemisphere summer. She says exploring such an unknown entity as Antarctica and its ice mountains and volcanoes, orcas and penguins from your ship or while kayaking or snowshoeing, is a true once-in-a-lifetime experience. Sailing down the river at Jacada Camp. Having a gourmet meal at Vumbara. Photos: Dana Allen.